Bowling 4/12/2025 11:11:00 PM

Comeback Bid Falls Short in Bowling National Championship

LAS VEGAS—Jax State came up just shy of a second consecutive NCAA Bowling Championship, falling in seven games to Youngstown State.

"I'm very proud of our girls," said coach Shannon O'Keefe. "They fought to the very, very end. (It) came down to the 10th frame, and as a coach, you can't ask for more than that when your back's a little bit behind the wall."

Youngstown State took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series with a 204-199 win in the first and a 248-210 win in the second. The Penguins closed the first match with five strikes in the final four frames to take advantage of the Gamecocks leading the ninth open. They got strikes on each of their final eight rolls in the second.

"We had a few mistakes here and there, but I think the girls just kind of did what they've done all year, and they just forget; short term memory," said O'Keefe. "They move on and to fight to the very end and come up just a little short, will sting for a while, and that's okay."

That short-term memory showed in the third game when Jax State opened with five consecutive strikes and got a double from Erin Klemencic and Anna Warkel in the seventh and eighth. Dannielle Henderson closed the game with a turkey for a 258-206 win.

Henderson finished the night with 15 strikes.

Warkel, one of two seniors on the roster with Keyla Covarrubias, registered nine strikes on the night.

"I'm just extremely blessed," said Warkel as she reflected on her collegiate career. "Shannon and Brian (O'Keefe) put a lot of faith into just a young girl from Iowa and put a lot of courage and trust in me, and I've learned so much through them."

The Gamecocks put up an impressive number in the fourth, but couldn't keep pace with another big run from YSU and the Penguins came within a game of clinching with a 244-226 win.

Facing elimination, the Gamecocks came up with six consecutive strikes in the fifth game for a 223-200 win, then forced the seventh game by closing with four consecutive strikes off an open frame for a 232-214 win.

Jax State battled through adversity in the seventh, trailing by 21 pins after four frames, but got back in it with a double from Henderson and Yoder in the fifth and sixth and stayed within reach with a strike from Annalise OBryant in the ninth, but the Penguins closed the match with four strikes for a 228-203 win.

Yoder and OBryant were named to the all-tournament team for their efforts for the week.

"I know they have a great future," said Covarrubias of the underclassmen. "I have seen a lot of growth from them since the beginning of the year, and they have shown they are to likely go win a national championship."

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Players Mentioned

#9 Keyla Covarrubias: Junior

#22 Anna Warkel: Junior

#2 Dannielle Henderson: Freshman

#12 Annalise OBryant: Sophomore

#70 Erin Klemencic: Freshman

Players Mentioned

#9 Keyla Covarrubias
: Junior

#22 Anna Warkel
: Junior

#2 Dannielle Henderson
: Freshman

#12 Annalise OBryant
: Sophomore

#70 Erin Klemencic
: Freshman